The U.S. House of Representatives today voted 195-234 to reject the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act (H.R. 1947, colloquially the House “Farm Bill”), legislation weakening federal investments in child nutrition. The legislation would have cut Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly Food Stamps) by more than $20 billion over 10 years. Forty-seven percent of SNAP funding goes to children.

“The House Farm Bill’s defeat is a victory for kids. Yes, the federal government has budget problems, but hungry kids didn’t cause them, and cutting anti-hunger investments is the wrong way to solve them,” said First Focus Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley. “It’s simple math – nearly half of every SNAP dollar goes to children, so the House Farm Bill would have taken food away from hungry kids.”